I tried using my head. Without pausing to overthink, I sank my teeth into his wrist, and he gasped as he let go of one arm.
“There you go,” Chancey praised.
With one arm free, I wrapped my hand around his throat, finding the soft length of his windpipe. I didn’t press, just simulated pressure. Charlie let go, and I managed to wrap my arms around his waist, using my upper body strength to pull myself up so my face was tucked into his stomach. I did what I could to twist my hips, and felt him give way as he fell under me, though I was pretty sure he’d let me do it. If he’d been resisting, I wouldn’t have been strong enough to turn him over.
We repeated the process a few more times, with Chancey and Charlie alternating spots. Even Oberi joined in, though it was hard to focus when he kept licking my face and making me laugh while I was trying to grab him.
Chancey was a lot harder to push off, because he was bigger and heavier. I didn’t know how Ivy didn’t get squashed underneath this guy. They needed vampire strength to do missionary with this monster.
Chancey was more professional, though. He kept his body off of mine, hovering over me instead of pinning me, lecturing me on all the ways I wasn’t striking him right.
Charlie was different. Each time he pinned me down became more forceful, yet more seductive. His grip tightened on my wrists, and his lips drifted across my hair as he forced me to the floor.
I was aware this was far past being appropriate for training, but I just wanted him to touch me again. I wanted it so badly. If I could use this as an excuse and pretend we weren’t using this session as a simulation for something else, and if he ignored what was obvious just as plainly as I did, I was taking the opportunity for my body to feel acknowledged.
Charlie pressed harder into me, grinding into the area between my legs. I didn’t think he did it on purpose, because I noticed the flash of surprise, and hesitation, cross his face.
Shit, he was getting hard. Even though all I wanted to do was beg him to rip my pants off and get inside me, right now, fuck that Chancey was in the room or not, I needed to back off.
Charlie knew it, too. There was a haze in his features that I’d long missed, but he did what he was good at doing, shoved it down, he propped himself upward off of me. I reached up to grasp his middle, twisting him back under me again. I laid on top of him, looking into his deep brown eyes.
He couldn’t look back, but the quickened breaths he gave as his chest rose up and down told me he wished Chancey wasn’t here, and that we were alone, if only so he could try to make a move… even if I rejected it.
Maybe I wanted him to. Maybe that was okay to accept.
“What have we here? Marriage back on?”
Danny’s Irish brogue cut through the training arena. I swept my hair out of my eyes, trying to catch my breath. This was a lot of work.
“Go away, Danny,” Charlie growled. “We don’t need you here.”
“Apparently, ye do.” Danny frowned as he shoved his hands in his pockets, looking me over. “What’s all this?”
“What does it look like? We’re teaching her self-defense,” Charlie spat.
Danny threw his head back toward the ceiling. “Ye gobshite, do ye have any sense? She’s a little thing with no legs. Any brute is gonna be able to toss her around like a doll. Hand-to-hand combat should be her last resort, ye big thugs. Thinking with yer cocks and not with yer heads I see, as usual.”
“What do you suggest?” Charlie snapped. He helped me up from the floor and back into my chair.
Danny smirked. He dug in his pocket, tossing a tiny box into the air. “Throwing knives. They’re faster to draw than a bow, easy to carry, and she can dual-wield them with both hands if an opponent gets close enough for her to cut. My personal weapon of choice.”
Danny’s logic was hard to argue with. Even so, I could practically hear Charlie’s teeth grinding as he said, “Fine. Show her how.”
“I’m working on it, bullocks for brains.” Danny knelt by me, placing a knife into my hand. It was smooth, fit easily in my palm, and was so sharp I was certain it could cut through the stone skin of vampires.
“First things first. You’ll want to relax, but have a straight posture. Know where yer throwing— pick a spot, draw the blade back behind your ear, and throw it with enough force to hit your target, but not so much you fail to be precise.” He demonstrated the movement, pulling my hand back and moving my arm in a distinct, seamless flow. “There ye go, princess. You have nice skin. Such pretty hands are made for killing.”
I was keenly aware of Charlie absolutely seething behind me, but I ignored it. “What do I do with my wrist?”
“Keep it straight. Throw with a smooth, overhand motion. You’ll want to let go once your arm extends.” Danny demonstrated, taking out a knife from the box and tossing it at the target. It sank smoothly into the bullseye. “Now you try.”
I did, tossing one of the knives. It fumbled out of my hands, nearly cutting my fingers before falling near my feet. “Ah!”
“She’s going to hurt herself,” Charlie snapped.
“Let her have a go,” Danny scolded. “I know she can do this.”
Charlie huffed, but didn’t say anything more. I kept at it. I fumbled the first few tries and the knives clattered against the floor. I learned a few new Irish curse words before I finally sank my first knife into the target, and it was close to the bullseye. The grin on my face widened the minute the knife sank in.
